1,394 research outputs found
Preliminary Report: A Simple Optical Technique for Filtering and Displaying Radar Data
Control Systems Laboratory changed its name to Coordinated Science LaboratoryDA-11-022-ORD-72
Suggested Short Term Improvements for a Tactical Air Control System
Control Systems Laboratory changed its name to Coordinated Science LaboratoryContract DA-11-022-ORD-72
Constraints on the high-density nuclear equation of state from the phenomenology of compact stars and heavy-ion collisions
A new scheme for testing nuclear matter equations of state (EsoS) at high
densities using constraints from neutron star phenomenology and a flow data
analysis of heavy-ion collisions is suggested. An acceptable EoS shall not
allow the direct Urca process to occur in neutron stars with masses below
, and also shall not contradict flow and kaon production data of
heavy-ion collisions. Compact star constraints include the mass measurements of
2.1 +/- 0.2 M_sun (1 sigma level) for PSR J0751+1807, of 2.0 +/- 0.1 M_sun from
the innermost stable circular orbit for 4U 1636-536, the baryon mass -
gravitational mass relationships from Pulsar B in J0737-3039 and the
mass-radius relationships from quasiperiodic brightness oscillations in 4U
0614+09 and from the thermal emission of RX J1856-3754. This scheme is applied
to a set of relativistic EsoS constrained otherwise from nuclear matter
saturation properties with the result that no EoS can satisfy all constraints
simultaneously, but those with density-dependent masses and coupling constants
appear most promising.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, 5 table
US acculturation and poor sleep among an intergenerational cohort of adult Latinos in Sacramento, California
Acculturation may shape the disproportionate burden of poor sleep among Latinos in the United States. Existing studies are limited by unidimensional acculturation proxies that are incapable of capturing cultural complexities across generations. Understanding how acculturation relates to sleep may lead to the identification of modifiable intervention targets. We used multivariable regression and latent class methods to examine cross-sectional associations between a validated multidimensional scale of US acculturation and self-reported poor sleep measures. We analyzed an intergenerational cohort: first-generation (GEN1) older Latinos (Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging; N = 1,716; median age: 69.5) and second-generation (GEN2) middle-aged offspring and relatives of GEN1 (Niños Lifestyle and Diabetes Study; N = 670; median age: 54.0) in Sacramento, California. GEN1 with high US acculturation, compared with high acculturation towards another origin/ancestral country, had less restless sleep (prevalence ratio [PR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 0.67 [0.54, 0.84]) and a higher likelihood of being in the best sleep class than the worst (OR [95% CI]: 1.62 [1.09, 2.40]), but among nonmanual occupations, high intergenerational US acculturation was associated with more general fatigue (PR [95% CI: 1.86 [1.11, 3.10]). GEN2 with high intergenerational US acculturation reported shorter sleep (PR [95% CI]: 2.86 [1.02, 7.99]). High US acculturation shaped sleep differentially by generation, socioeconomic context, and intergenerational acculturative status. High US acculturation was associated with better sleep among older, lower socioeconomic Latinos, but with shorter sleep duration among middle-aged, higher socioeconomic Latinos; results also differed by parental acculturation status. Upon replication, future studies should incorporate prospective and intergenerational designs to uncover sociobehavioral pathways by which acculturation may shape sleep to ultimately inform intervention efforts
Quantum Chaos in Quantum Wells
We develop a quantitative semiclassical theory for the resosnant tunneling
through a quantum well in a tilted magnetic field. It is shown, that in the
leading semiclassical approximation the tunneling current depends only on
periodic orbits within the quantum well. Further corrections (due to e.g.
"ghost" effect) can be expressed in terms of closed, but non-periodic orbits,
started at the "injection point". The results of the semiclassical theory are
shown to be in good agreement with both the experimental data and numerical
calculations.Comment: 25 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in Physica
Successful vaccination of BALB/c mice against human hookworm (Necator americanus): the immunological phenotype of the protective response
In this murine (BALB/c) model of necatoriasis, high levels of protection against challenge infection by Necator americanus larvae (n = 300) were afforded by successive vaccinations at 14-day intervals, either subcutaneously or percutaneously, with γ-irradiated N. americanus larvae (n = 300). Percutaneous vaccination was significantly more effective than the subcutaneous route, with pulmonary larval burdens at 3 days post-infection being reduced by 97.8% vs. 89.3%, respectively, after three immunisations (p < 0.05). No worms were recovered from the intestines of thrice vaccinated mice. Two percutaneous vaccinations also reduced worm burdens, by 57% in the lungs and 98% in the intestines; p < 0.05. In vaccinated animals, lung pathology (mainly haemorrhage) following infection was greatly reduced compared with non-vaccinated animals. In vaccinated mice (but not in non-vaccinated mice) mast cells accumulated in the skin and were degranulated. RT-PCR analyses of mRNAs in the skin of vaccinated animals indicated increased expression of IL-4 relative to γ-IFN. Lymphocytes from the axillary (skin-draining) lymph nodes of vaccinated mice, stimulated in vitro with concanavalin A, exhibited enhanced secretion of IL-4 protein and a higher Il-4/γ-IFN protein ratio than lymphocytes from non-vaccinated animals. In vaccinated mice, levels of IgG1 and IgG3 (directed against larval excretory/secretory products) were elevated for the most part compared with those in non-vaccinated animals. These data demonstrate the successful vaccination of BALB/c mice against human hookworm infection and suggest that a localised Th2 response may be important for conferring protection against necatoriasis
Uniform semiclassical wave function for coherent 2D electron flow
We find a uniform semiclassical (SC) wave function describing coherent
branched flow through a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG), a phenomenon
recently discovered by direct imaging of the current using scanned probed
microscopy. The formation of branches has been explained by classical
arguments, but the SC simulations necessary to account for the coherence are
made difficult by the proliferation of catastrophes in the phase space. In this
paper, expansion in terms of "replacement manifolds" is used to find a uniform
SC wave function for a cusp singularity. The method is then generalized and
applied to calculate uniform wave functions for a quantum-map model of coherent
flow through a 2DEG. Finally, the quantum-map approximation is dropped and the
method is shown to work for a continuous-time model as well.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
Nucleation versus Spinodal decomposition in a first order quark hadron phase transition
We investigate the scenario of homogeneous nucleation for a first order
quark-hadron phase transition in a rapidly expanding background of quark gluon
plasma. Using an improved preexponential factor for homogeneous nucleation
rate, we solve a set of coupled equations to study the hadronization and the
hydrodynamical evolution of the matter. It is found that significant
supercooling is possible before hadronization begins. This study also suggests
that spinodal decomposition competes with nucleation and may provide an
alternative mechanism for phase conversion particularly if the transition is
strong enough and the medium is nonviscous. For weak enough transition, the
phase conversion may still proceed via homogeneous nucleation.Comment: LaTeX, 10 pages with 7 Postscript figures, more discussions and
referencese added, typos correcte
Electric field and exciton structure in CdSe nanocrystals
Quantum Stark effect in semiconductor nanocrystals is theoretically
investigated, using the effective mass formalism within a
Baldereschi-Lipari Hamiltonian model for the hole states. General expressions
are reported for the hole eigenfunctions at zero electric field. Electron and
hole single particle energies as functions of the electric field
() are reported. Stark shift and binding energy of the
excitonic levels are obtained by full diagonalization of the correlated
electron-hole Hamiltonian in presence of the external field. Particularly, the
structure of the lower excitonic states and their symmetry properties in CdSe
nanocrystals are studied. It is found that the dependence of the exciton
binding energy upon the applied field is strongly reduced for small quantum dot
radius. Optical selection rules for absorption and luminescence are obtained.
The electric-field induced quenching of the optical spectra as a function of
is studied in terms of the exciton dipole matrix element. It
is predicted that photoluminescence spectra present anomalous field dependence
of the emission lines. These results agree in magnitude with experimental
observation and with the main features of photoluminescence experiments in
nanostructures.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl
Implementation of Quality Systems in Nuclear Medicine: Why It Matters. An Outcome Analysis (Quality Management Audits in Nuclear Medicine Part III).
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) developed a comprehensive program-Quality Management Audits in Nuclear Medicine (QUANUM). This program covers all aspects of nuclear medicine practices including, but not limited to, clinical practice, management, operations, and services. The QUANUM program, which includes quality standards detailed in relevant checklists, aims at introducing a culture of comprehensive quality audit processes that are patient oriented, systematic, and outcome based. This paper will focus on the impact of the implementation of QUANUM on daily routine practices in audited centers. Thirty-seven centers, which had been externally audited by experts under IAEA auspices at least 1 year earlier, were invited to run an internal audit using the QUANUM checklists. The external audits also served as training in quality management and the use of QUANUM for the local teams, which were responsible of conducting the internal audits. Twenty-five out of the 37 centers provided their internal audit report, which was compared with the previous external audit. The program requires that auditors score each requirement within the QUANUM checklists on a scale of 0-4, where 0-2 means nonconformance and 3-4 means conformance to international regulations and standards on which QUANUM is based. Our analysis covering both general and clinical areas assessed changes on the conformance status on a binary manner and the level of conformance scores. Statistical analysis was performed using nonparametric statistical tests. The evaluation of the general checklists showed a global improvement on both the status and the levels of conformances (P < 0.01). The evaluation of the requirements by checklist also showed a significant improvement in all, with the exception of Hormones and Tumor marker determinations, where changes were not significant. Of the 25 evaluated institutions, 88% (22 of 25) and 92% (23 of 25) improved their status and levels of conformance, respectively. Fifty-five requirements, on average, increased from nonconformance to conformance status. In 8 key areas, the number of improved requirements was well above the average: Administration & Management (checklist 2); Radiation Protection & Safety (checklist 4); General Quality Assurance system (checklist 6); Imaging Equipment Quality Assurance or Quality Control (checklist 7); General Diagnostic (checklist 9); General Therapeutic (checklist 12); Radiopharmacy Level 1 (checklist 14); and Radiopharmacy Level 2 (checklist 15). Analysis of results related to clinical activities showed an overall positive impact on both the status and the level of conformance to international standards. Similar results were obtained for the most frequently performed clinical imaging and therapeutic procedures. Our study shows that the implementation of a comprehensive quality management system through the IAEA QUANUM program has a positive impact on nuclear medicine practices
- …